Inlays of marble, granite and other stones and vitreous materials have been used in decorative arts for centuries. Normally, the inlay and the substrate are of like materials so that the surface may be polished to a degree necessary to make clear images of different colors, textures and impressions desired in the final product. For example, if the medium is wood, the substrate is generally wood and the inlays are of variously colored wood fragments. Likewise, if the inlays are stone, the substrate is usually a similar hard, brittle material that may be polished with abrasives that could not be used on wood because they would damage the wood rather than polish it.
Inlays of materials dissimilar to the substrates, as far as hardness is concerned, have been difficult to prepare because of the different polishing requirements. Stone in wood, for example, has heretofore required the inlay to be formed in precisely the dimensions of the final product, then polished to the degree desired in the final product. Where the dimension of the inlay is small, say, less than two centimeters in the shortest dimension, there is a substantial risk that the brittle stone will break or chip, making the inlay useless and requiring a new beginning. In the Middle Ages, when the cost of skilled workers and stone materials was no object, trial and error over and over was a possibility. Today, however, there is a need for a reliable method of making inlays of hard materials for insertion into substrates of soft materials.
Moreover, different trades are involved in stone work and in cabinetry. In kitchen remodeling, for example, a cabinet-maker will prepare drawers, doors and storage units for a kitchen, and a different tradesman will cut and install granite or marble counter surfaces. Making stone inlays in wood cabinets, made possible by the present invention, involves a marriage of two dissimilar trades, accounting for the fact that inlays of stone in wood are seldom attempted today.
Marble and granite have great compressive strength, but poor tensile strength. This means that it can be cut in a vertical plane but not in a horizontal plane when not supported by great mass. Thus, to make narrow strips for inlays, a slab of stone four feet long and xc2xe inch thick may be readily cut with a saw in a vertical plane, but a xc2xe inch piece cannot be cut in a horizontal plane without chipping or shattering.
There is a need for a new article of manufacture, consisting of a composite of stone or a somewhat flexible damping material that can be purchased by a cabinet-maker and simply inserted with an adhesive into a groove in wood formed by a suitable means, such as a router.
The present invention is a method of making inlays of hard material in small cross-sectional dimensions for insertion into softer material that would be damaged by the strenuous abrading materials used in polishing hard materials. A damping material is used to mount the hard material for processing steps of grinding and polishing in order to avoid chipping and breaking of the hard brittle material, especially in the dimensions on the order of two centimeters or less.
In particular, granite and marble inlays in wood provide a beautiful contrast in texture and colors that are desirable in the decorative arts. Furniture, storage cabinets, and virtually any wooden surface used in construction may be decorated with stone inlays at modest cost using the present invention.
In addition, the invention includes an article of manufacture consisting of a composite of stone and damping material having a precise configuration for insertion into a wood or other relatively soft substrate.